At protest sites, Punjabi hospitality at its best

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, January 14

The Punjabi spirit of hospitality has come to the fore during the ongoing protest against the central farm laws at New Delhi borders. The individual hospitality in particular is at its best as protesting farmers are leaving no stone unturned to make guests at borders feel at home.

Besides running langars and making covered spaces jointly for visitors at various venues, majority of farmers have erected tents adjoining their tractor-trailers and demarcated portions in their respective covered spaces for guests, kitchens and for themselves.

“Our villagers have a covered space for around 25 persons here alone in our tent and trailer. While 15 are staying permanently, the remaining space is being used by the guests. If anyone comes from our village, farmers try their level best to provide him/her all required facilities,” says Rupinder Singh and Jaspreet Singh from Ealwal village while standing near pole number 45 at the Tikri border.

Though many take food in langars, for relatives who come to meet farmers, cooking of food and preparation of tea are done in trailers. For the convenience and to help guests in locating them, majority of farmers have put up big banners and even boards with their details like village and district names.

“It’s a fact that many of our relatives are coming here on our assurance that we would take care of them. Many times, in this biting cold, I have slept beneath the trailer after putting fiber sheets around to make space for our guests. It’s our responsibility to ensure guests do not face any problem here,” says Barjinder Singh from Bathinda.

Besides, farmers also have chairs and cots lying for guests to sit during the daytime as all do not prefer to visit the stage. This open space becomes the discussion area for family issues, news and other issues with guests. The same space is being used to cut vegetables before cooking inside tents.